For two decades, Jason Jenkins has made a career of captivating audiences with stories that both inform and entertain. A native of northwest Illinois, his connections to agriculture run deep. He grew up on a small farm where his family raised sheep, mostly crossbred Suffolks and Cheviots. His maternal grandfather also farmed a diversified operation, raising Herefords and sheep while growing corn, soy, oats and alfalfa.
Jenkins attended the University of Missouri in Columbia where he studied agricultural journalism with an emphasis in natural resources. After graduating with honors, he worked for the university’s News Bureau, helping promote scientific research on campus. In 2002, Jenkins joined MU Extension and Agricultural Information, where he wrote news and feature stories about the research, teaching and extension efforts of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. In addition, he produced accompanying photography and served as primary editor for two publications.
In 2007, Jenkins accepted a staff position with Rural Missouri, a 550,000-circulation monthly tabloid published by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. After less than three years, he became the publication’s managing editor, directing overall editorial content and scope while serving as a writer, photographer, videographer, editor and designer. His writing, photography and videography efforts were recognized numerous times by the Cooperative Communicators Association. In both 2009 and 2012, CCA named Jenkins its Photographer of the Year.
Jenkins left Rural Missouri in 2016 to found Mill Creek Communications Services with his wife, Allison, who also is a communicator with an agricultural background. She currently serves as editor of Today’s Farmer magazine, which is published by MFA Incorporated, Missouri’s largest ag supply cooperative. While continuing with Mill Creek, Jenkins accepted a position as coordinator of Missourians for Monarchs, a statewide conservation collaborative established with the goal of increasing habitat for pollinating insects and the monarch butterfly. Jenkins resigned from the collaborative to join Red Barn.
Jenkins is an avid hunter and angler who enjoys sharing his passion for the outdoors with his children—Aiden, a third-grader; Carly, a second-grader; and Ashlyn, a first-grader. The trio also participates in a number of activities including Scouting, soccer, baseball, and karate. The family resides in central Missouri’s Callaway County.